The 32-year-old Rocky Mount woman didn’t dream as a child of a future jumping in and out of strangers’ cars. Her aspirations were more typical, she said — to graduate high school, go to college, maybe move to the big city and have a family.

An unplanned pregnancy her sophomore year in high school erased those hopes, replacing them instead with a crying baby, bitter poverty and drug addiction.

The woman remembers clearly the first time she traded her body for crack on the streets of Rocky Mount. It was the spring of 1992, and the guy was a jerk, she said. But what started as a one-time fix turned into a lifestyle that spanned the better part of 13 years.

Homelessness, splintered family ties and threats of arrest couldn’t keep her from the street.

“That was life,” the woman said, expressionless. “That’s all it was.”

The woman’s story isn’t unique.

Despite targeted efforts by law enforcement, the faith community and some residents, East Rocky Mount has grappled with street-level prostitution for the better part of the past 20 years, Rocky Mount Police Chief John Manley said.

The problem isn’t new, but it has been amplified in recent months by a string of at least six similar murders that have some residents wondering if a serial killer has been stalking poor, black prostitutes on Rocky Mount’s largely impoverished east side.

National Housing Law Project is pleased to announce the publication of â Domestic Violence and Housing: A Manual and Toolkit for California Advocates. The Manual provides critical information regarding domestic violence survivorsâ€™ rights in applying for housing, improving the safety of rental housing, and defending against evictions and subsidy terminations.

The Toolkit contains a number of sample advocacy documents, including letters, pleadings, and housing policies. Primary support for the Manual and Toolkit was provided by the Blue Shield of California Foundation. Both documents are FREE! Although some of the information is specific to California, the majority of the materials are applicable to advocates nationwide.

The Manual is available to the public for download at
nhlp.org/guidebooks

To obtain an electronic version of the Toolkit, or to submit questions or comments, contact Meliah Schultzman at <mschultzman@nhlp.org>. Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who assists survivors or works on housing issues.

* Requires education and training for court-appointed attorneys
for children, as children exposed to domestic violence often suffer
psychological, behavioral and academic challenges. Training on the
dynamics of domestic violence will enable these attorneys to better
assist their clients and make appropriate recommendations to the court;

* Strengthens a 1996 law that established domestic violence as a
factor the courts must consider in child custody and visitation
proceedings. The new law requires courts to state for the record how
domestic violence, when established, factored into their custody and
visitation determinations.

Protects Victims of Sexual Assault within a Family Setting;

* Establishes certain sex crimes as "family offenses," thereby
allowing evidence to be heard in order of protection proceedings in
family court;

* Requires law enforcement officers who respond to a domestic
incident involving an individual on probation or parole to send a copy
of the domestic violence incident report to the supervising agency as
soon as practicable. Since supervising agencies frequently impose the
condition that a probationer or parolee report any contact with law
enforcement, this law will assist in enforcing that condition and help
hold offenders accountable.

This is one of a number of domestic violence bills enacted under the
Governor's signature this summer. These include: a bill to prohibit
employment discrimination against victims of domestic violence; a bill
to require college campuses to distribute information on domestic
violence and sexual assault; and a bill to prohibit imposing a
requirement that a victim of domestic violence contact his or her abuser
as a condition of receiving a public benefit.

Every year in New York State, police officers respond to almost half a
million calls about domestic violence. A study by the state Division of
Criminal Justice Services showed that 43 percent of adult female
homicide victims were killed by their intimate partner.

The Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) has been
working to quantify the problem of domestic violence in New York State,
a crime that remains under-reported. OPDV recently published Domestic
Violence Annual Report - 2008, which highlights steps the State has
taken to address domestic violence, and created the Domestic Violence
Dashboard, a comprehensive compilation of domestic violence-related data
from multiple agencies and systems. Both the report and the Dashboard
are available on the
OPDV website: www.opdv.state.ny.us

In this speech, Clinton highlighted five issues the US will be focusing on at the upcoming UN general assembly: Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan; development; and women.

Following are Clinton's comments on US global goals re women:

HILLARY CLINTON - Finally, our delegation, and I personally, will work to advance international efforts to recognize women as key drivers of economic progress and social stability, as well, to address impediments to women’s empowerment and advancement, particularly sexual and gender-based violence. I will chair a session of the Security Council and will speak on behalf of the adoption of a resolution on “women, peace and security” which will endorse concrete measures to implement Security Council Resolution 1820 and address sexual and gender-based violence as a tactic of war.

I saw the scale of misery caused by this violence on my recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, having met, in many different settings around the world over many years, with women who are the victims of the worst that humanity offers, but also with women who are the strongest exemplars of the best of what humanity offers. I saw that very vividly on this most recent trip.

Next week, I will be speaking with other foreign ministers and heads of state about strategies to end this violence and to ensure that those who commit atrocities are prosecuted and not treated with impunity. I will work with women leaders, heads of state, foreign ministers at the General Assembly to highlight the importance of raising the status of girls and women and investing in their potential through education, economic development, and healthcare. If women are free from violence and accorded their rights, they can contribute to local economies and become change agents for greater prosperity and stability.

....
See full text of speech:
www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/09/129366.htm

The Disheartening But Predictable Violation Of Women’s Rights In The Context Of The Honduran Coup
Via Stabroek News (Guyana):

Two weeks ago, an international delegation of human rights and feminist organizations representing countries from Latin America, Canada, Spain and the United States, traveled to Honduras on a fact-finding mission during Women’s Human Rights Week, to document the violation of women’s rights in the context of the coup of June 28 that deposed democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya. Between August 17-21, they interviewed women and members of various organizations involved in resistance to the coup, and took testimonies from victims of military and police brutality. The delegation, consisting of activists, journalists, researchers and legal experts, was convened by a number of organizations in and outside of Honduras: Honduran Feminists in Resistance; Feminist Radio International Endeavor (FIRE); Just Associates (JASS), Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equality; and the Nobel Women’s Initiative

1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.

2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!

4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.

5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!

6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.

9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do

Charlotte Bunch, director of the Centre for Women's Global Leadership and a vocal proponent of the new agency, called it a "great victory for women's rights".

Credit:UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 14 (IPS) - After more than three years of political foot-dragging, the 192-member General Assembly adopted a historic resolution Monday aimed at creating a new U.N. agency for women.

The decision to create a separate powerful body to deal exclusively with gender-related activities comes years - or decades - after the United Nations created specialised agencies to deal with specific issues, including children, population, refugees, food, environment, education, health and tourism, among many others.

Currently, there are four existing women's U.N. entities in the world body: the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues; the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women; and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).

But none of them is as politically powerful and financially stable as full-fledged U.N. agencies.

When the new women's agency is created, perhaps by the middle of next year, it will be headed by an under-secretary-general (USG), the third highest ranking position in the U.N. system, after the secretary-general and the deputy secretary-general.

BERLIN, Sep 16 (IPS) - At least 1.5 billion people aged 10 to 25 — the largest generation of young people in history — will need sexual and reproductive health services, says the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Globally, there are about 33 million people living with HIV, reports the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS or UNAIDS, with 2.7 million new infections in 2007, most of which are sexually transmitted infections.

Every year, more than half a million women die in pregnancy or childbirth, including 67,000 from unsafe abortion. Additionally, six million suffer injury, illness, or disability.

Little wonder then that 27-year old Imane Khachani, a Moroccan doctor and member of the international Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, believes the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Plan of Action needs to be shelved.

The ICPD, held in Cairo, was considered a groundbreaking effort for shifting population policy discussions away from simply slowing population growth to enhancing individual health and rights while focusing on social development.

Fifteen years on, the realities of 2009 are different from those of 1994, asserts Khachani, who was among the 100 young people from around the world who took part in the UNFPA-organised forum on sexual and reproductive health and rights, held in early September in Berlin, where she sat down with IPS.

She spoke about the urgent need to view young people’s sexuality from a rights-based approach and urged the ICPD advocates to "look beyond" the 1994 programme of action.

Khachani shared her candid thoughts with IPS on the way forward after the Cairo consensus and why youth need to be involved in policy discussions on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

Listed below are some of the topics we will be addressing at this conference. For more information on these courses, please visit our website.

Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse
Jury Selection and Decision Making in Sexual Assault Cases
The Suspect Exam and Evidence Collection
Myths and Facts of Men Victimized by Domestic Violence
Reaching Out to Survivors who Self-Medicate the Pain
The Church's Response to Domestic Violence
Would You Like to Testify as a Battered Woman's Expert?
Prosecutor's Case for Neutrality in Forensic Nursing
The Influence of Digital Communication on the Theory of Power and Control
Working with Survivor Strengths
Law Enforcement and Advocates: Oil and Water
Human and Animal Violence
SAFE Case Review
Addressing the Harms of Pornography
Victims of Juvenile Trafficking
Connection Between Stalking and Sexual Assault
Update on Forensic Compliance
And Then There Were Three: Rapes with Multiple Offenders
The Judge's Role in SA Cases Inside and Outside the Courtroom
Advocacy for Domestic Violence Victims Affiliated with the Military
Creating Welcoming Environments for Victims with Disabilities
Prosecutor's Response to Sexually Exploited Women
Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault
The Unique Nature of Sexual Violence in Detention
Using Threat Assessment to Evaluate High Lethality Domestic Violence
Breaking the Cycle, Beating the Odds

Synopsis: In the beautiful coastal city of Recife, Brazil - a world capital for sex tourism - a couple of determined women decided they would try to break the cycle of domestic violence and get kids off the streets. Hummingbird goes onto the streets and sees the harsh reality these kids face and shows how these programs help break the cycle, giving people a chance.
Recovery for Street Children and Their Mothers, a comprehensive program for dealing with poverty, drugs, prostitution, violence against women....

In a recently ePublished article in the Journal Child Maltreatment, a study finds that when caregivers talk to their children about child sexual abuse, they emphasize “stranger danger” despite the overwhelming majority of abuse is committed by someone acquainted with the child. The findings are not surprising. As we consider the best ways to prevent child sexual abuse, we must examine the role of parents and caregivers beyond what they tell their children. We should not shift the “responsibility” of preventing abuse to children but parents and caregivers should play a role in crating a safe environment for their children.

The full citation and abstract from SafetyLit after the jump:

Caregivers’ Efforts to Educate Their Children About Child Sexual Abuse: A Replication Study.

It is with much regret that I must inform you of some very discouraging news concerning the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (CRCVC). Sadly, the CRCVC has been notified by the Canadian Police Association (CPA), our core funder, that they will no longer be able to continue funding our efforts. The CPA intends to discontinue their financial support within the next few weeks. This decision came unexpectedly and has left the future of the CRCVC in an extremely vulnerable state — we must find alternative core funding immediately, or face the prospect of shutting down.

I am sure that you can appreciate how alarming this news is, not only for our staff, but for the hundreds of victims and families impacted by crime with whom we work. It is our desire to continue our valuable efforts on behalf of victims of crime in Canada. With that in mind, I have reached out to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a personal supporter of the CRCVC, in hopes that he will direct the federal government to take over as the core funder of our organization. I am optimistic that Prime Minister Harper will recognize that the CRCVC helps hundreds of victims each year for approximately the same amount of annual funding that is required to incarcerate one federal prisoner.

We need your help! Please show your support of the CRCVC by writing to the Prime Minister. In doing so, please feel free to download the form letter as a PDF or Word Doc, and send it by email (harper.s@parl.gc.ca or pm@pm.gc.ca), fax (613-941-6900) or mail to his office.

I thank you for your ongoing support of the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime.

Legislation targeting child sex traffickers and any assets and property used to facilitate human trafficking has passed the Senate and Assembly is awaiting the Governor's signature. Your support is needed! Please pass this along and encourage all those you know in California to take action.

AB 17 (sponsored by Assembly Member Sandre Swanson) passed the Assembly (77-0) and the Senate (36-0), and SB 557 (sponsored by Senator Leland Yee) passed the Senate (40-0) and the Assembly (77-1). Both bills are awaiting the Governor's signature. Please help advance these important pieces of legislation!

AB 17 (http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_17&sess=CUR&house=B& author=swanson), if signed, will improve California's anti-human trafficking law by increasing the authorized additional fine upon conviction of pimping, pandering, or procurement of a minor to $20,000; requiring that fifty percent of all fines go to grants for community-based organizations that serve minor victims of human trafficking; and by providing for the forfeiture of assets connected to human trafficking crimes.

SB 557 (http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postq uery?bill_number=sb_557&sess=CUR&house=B &author=yee), if signed, creates economic disincentives for the practice of slavery in California by authorizing the declaration of real property used to facilitate the crime of human trafficking as a nuisance. Once the property is declared a nuisance, the criminal activity conducted on the property will be stopped, damages may be recovered and the property may be closed for any use.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

The Governor needs to hear that human trafficking must be addressed, and California can make a step in the right direction when the Governor signs AB 17 and SB 557.

1. The most effective action you can take is to make a quick phone call to the Governor's office and urge him to sign AB 17 and SB 557 ? legislation addressing financial penalties and services for minor victims of human trafficking.

2. You can reach the Governor's office at 916-445-2841 or email the Governor by going to (http://gov.ca.gov/interact). When you call or email, you can simply say:
?"Hi, my name is [Name], and I am a California resident. I am calling to urge him to sign AB 17 and SB 557. These bills will improve California's human trafficking law by increasing penalties for trafficking minors, stopping the use of property for human trafficking and by providing a means of funding necessary victim services for minors. Can I count on his support?"